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What is PAS 2080 - Carbon management in buildings and infrastructure about?
Responding to the fact that the built environment is responsible for most UK carbon emissions, PAS 2080 is the world’s first specification for decarbonizing buildings and infrastructure systems.
Its guidance was revised to set out how the sector can transition to net zero by 2050 by managing and reducing whole life carbon in buildings and infrastructure.
Using PAS 2080:2023 empowers behavioural change, by uniting all organizations through a common framework that will help companies maximize their whole life approach to carbon reduction from the earliest origins of the projects through its end of life.
Who is PAS 2080 - Carbon management in buildings and infrastructure for?
All value chain members in the built environment including:
- Asset owners and managers
- Architects and designers
- Constructors
- Product and material suppliers
- Regulators and financiers
What does PAS 2080 - Carbon management in buildings and infrastructure cover?
PAS 2080 specifies requirements for the management of whole life carbon in buildings and infrastructure – in the provision, operation, use and end of life of new projects or programmes of work as well as the management or retrofit of existing assets and networks.
It helps organizations to understand the impact of its assets on the wider network; revealing its interdependencies and encouraging early collaboration; defining roles and responsibilities and integrating carbon-focussed decision making and procurement processes throughout the assets’ lifecycle.
Why should you use PAS 2080 - Carbon management in buildings and infrastructure?
By following the PAS 2080 approach, value chain members across the built environment can work collaboratively towards the common goal of net zero carbon transition and achieve the following outcomes:
- It helps users realize reductions in material, energy and labour costs that reduce whole-life carbon emissions, as well as whole-life capital and operational costs
- It helps encourage wider uptake and action on carbon management
- It ensures carbon is consistently and transparently quantified at key points so data can be shared along the supply chain, processes can be aligned and cooperation and collaboration can increase efficiency and reduce costs
- It helps demonstrate your commitment to carbon reduction, enhancing reputation, supporting staff recruitment and retention, and giving stakeholders clarity and certainty about what’s being achieved
- It can help you gain a competitive edge when bidding for tenders
- It promotes innovations that achieve lower carbon solutions
- It provides a common framework that can help the sector adapt to a low carbon future, contributing to the UK’s achievement of its carbon reduction targets, and limiting global warming to 1.5°C, as per the Paris Climate Agreement 2015
- It can help users develop their expertise with carbon management
- It can help users increase confidence and trust in their practice
- It can help organizations grow sustainably
To learn more about what PAS 2080:2023 covers and its benefits, listen to The Standards Show podcast episode here.
What’s new about PAS 2080:2023?
This is a revision of PAS 2080:2016. The major changes in PAS 2080:2023 are:
- An expanded scope to include all the built environment (buildings and infrastructure) with a focus on behaviours and good practice principles intended to complement existing standards/guidance
- Clarified roles of value chain members to control and influence whole life carbon in the context of a net zero transition and systems-level change
- An increased emphasis on whole life carbon – aligned with a 1.5°C scenario, circular economy principles, and addressing the urgent need to decarbonize systems, networks, and assets while balancing capital carbon investment with operational and user benefit
- Includes requirements specific to the procurement stage and to aid decision-making in projects and programmes of work
- Considers other demands and co-benefits while managing carbon, such as climate adaptation and biodiversity net gain
- Emphasizes the importance of leadership, governance, and collaboration across the value chain and beyond, including guidance for government, regulators, and financiers
- Brings consistency across the built environment industry to collectively manage whole life carbon and support the net zero transition while not conflicting with other existing standards, accreditation schemes, procurement notices, or similar
PAS 2080 has been sponsored by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the Green Construction Board (GCB), enabling the standard to be offered free of charge. The updated Guidance document, offers a range of case studies where the standard has been applied, and provides worked examples to further assist organizations with the application and integration of PAS 2080.